The film tells the story of the most successful female gambler Cheung Yin 'Kelly' Sun
Deadline reports that Awkwafina is reunited with Crazy Rich Asians producer SK Global for the upcoming feature The Baccarat Machine.
Awkwafina played Constance Wu‘s character’s college friend Peik Lin Goh in the 2018 Asian American comedy.
The film is based on the true story of the most successful female gambler in modern history Cheung Yin ‘Kelly’ Sun and her partnership with legendary poker player Phil Ivey.
When the young Chinese woman develops a talent for beating the gambling system, the major casinos conspire to ban her from their premises. Not giving up without a fight, Sun partners with the ‘King of Poker’ Phil Ivey to take down the system.
Sun’s story was first brought to light by Michael Kaplan’s article ‘The Baccarat Machine’ for the Cigar Aficionado.
SKG Co-CEO Penotti stated, “We can’t think of a better way to start this project than by announcing that our friend Awkwafina has come on board. She is uniquely equipped to bring Kelly to life onscreen and will infuse the role with genuine humor and humanity. Along with our partners at Sharp, we’re thrilled to bring this unbelievable story to the screen.”
Awkwafina recently made history by becoming the first Asian American actress to win a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category for her role in The Farewell.